Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

In Berkeley

Posted on November 2, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

I’m in Berkeley for the Unblinking Conference. I may have some free time Saturday afternoon after the conference ends, if anyone is reading this and feels sociable.

Posted in Talks & Conferences | 6 Comments

Risk of Voting Machine Hack at Center of CA SecState Ad

Posted on November 2, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

But for its length, surely one of the top ads of the year, deployed in the CA Secretary of State race:

There’s also a different, shorter, but also good, ad on the same theme in the MN Secretary of State race.

Posted in Politics: US: 2006 Election | 2 Comments

The State of Play, Dead Tree Version

Posted on November 1, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

Just in time for the seminar I will be co-teaching next semester on the law of virtual worlds, NYU Press has published a great book on the subject called The State of Play, edited by Jack Balkin and Beth Noveck. I’m going to take the liberty to reprint Jack’s description of it:

Michael Froomkin, James Grimmelmann, David Johnson, Dan Hunter, Raph Koster, Greg Lastowka, Cory Ondrejka, Tracy Spaight and Tal Zarsky.

Here’s a short description of the book:

Millions of people around the world inhabit virtual words: multiplayer online games where characters live, love, buy, trade, cheat, steal, and have every possible kind of adventure. Far more complicated and sophisticated than early video games, people now spend countless hours in virtual universes like Second Life and Star Wars Galaxies not to shoot space invaders but to create new identities, fall in love, build cities, make rules, and break them.

As digital worlds become increasingly powerful and lifelike, people will employ them for countless real-world purposes, including commerce, education, medicine, law enforcement, and military training. Inevitably, real-world law will regulate them. But should virtual worlds be fully integrated into our real-world legal system or should they be treated as separate jurisdictions with their own forms of dispute resolution? What rules should govern virtual communities? Should the law step in to protect property rights when virtual items are destroyed or stolen?

These questions, and many more, are considered in The State of Play, where legal experts, game designers, and policymakers explore the boundaries of free speech, intellectual property, and creativity in virtual worlds. The essays explore both the emergence of law in multiplayer online games and how we can use virtual worlds to study real-world social interactions and test real-world laws.

Posted in Writings | 1 Comment

Vote Democratic

Posted on November 1, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

It’s official — Iraq is rushing towards chaos. This was certainly avoidable by not invading; and probably avoidable by actually bothering to plan for the aftermath of military victory over the Iraqi army.

Iraq-line.jpg

Click the picture for a larger image.

Posted in Iraq, Politics: US: 2006 Election | 1 Comment

Too Much of a Good Thing

Posted on November 1, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

The guys with the Mentos and Cokes are back with a new video Experiment #214.

I thought the first set of videos were pretty funny; this one left me utterly cold.

I don’t know if it’s me, if the joke got old, if it’s the much stronger marketing tie-ins to Coke, Mentos and iTunes, or if there’s something about watching more than 500 liters of soda get splashed about that made me think of ancient Rome, but I didn’t chortle even once.

Pity, as I like the unique revenue deal the video’s authors struck with Google.

Posted in Internet | 2 Comments

Statement by Mike Stark

Posted on October 31, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

Mike Stark wrote a letter about his assault by three men (who appear to have been George Allen staff members, although that’s not entirely clear to me); the letter is posted at NBC29:

My name is Mike Stark. I am a law student at the University of Virginia, a marine, and a citizen journalist. Earlier today at a public event, I was attempting to ask Senator Allen a question about his sealed divorce record and his arrest in the 1970s, both of which are in the public domain. His people assaulted me, put me in a headlock, and wrestled me to the ground. Video footage is available here, from an NBC affiliate.

I demand that Senator Allen fire the staffers who beat up a constituent attempting to use his constitutional right to petition his government. I also want to know why Senator Allen would want his staffers to assault someone asking questions about matters of public record in the heat of a political campaign. Why are his divorce records sealed? Why was he arrested in the 1970s? And why did his campaign batter me when I asked him about these questions.

George Allen defends his support of the Iraq war by saying that our troops are defending the ideals America stands for. Indeed, he says our troops are defending our very freedom. What kind of country is it when a Senator’s constituent is assaulted for asking difficult and uncomfortable questions? What freedoms do we have left? Maybe we need to bring the troops home so that they can fight for freedom at George Allen’s campaign events. Demanding accountability should not be an offense worthy of assault.

I will be pressing charges against George Allen and his surrogates later today. George Allen, at any time, could have stopped the fray. All he had to do was say, “This is not how my campaign is run. Take your hands off that man.” He could have ignored my questions. Instead he and his thugs chose violence. I spent four years in the Marine Corps. I’ll be damned if I’ll let my country be taken from me by thugs that are afraid of taking responsibility for themselves.

It just isn’t the America I know and love. Somebody needs to take a stand against those that would bully and intimidate their fellow citizens. That stand begins right here, right now.

W. Michael Stark

Posted in Politics: The Party of Sleaze | 3 Comments